Team Effort Lifts Football Over Hastings

Doane Football returned home for the first time in a month and found their mojo in the 2nd quarter as they rallied from a 10-0 deficit to post a 37-12 win over Hastings on Saturday afternoon. The win moves Doane's all-time record against the Broncos to 55-53-10 after playing in the 118th meeting.

Hastings put together a 12-play, 59-yard drive midway through the 1st quarter that resulted in a 28-yard field goal for the early lead. On the Broncos next possession, they went 72 yards on nine plays and scored on a 20-yard pass to go up 10-0.

In the 2nd quarter, the Tigers finally received the offensive spark they were looking for in a big way. On 3rd-and-10, Drake Davidson (JR/Moberly, Mo.) found Izaiah Celestine (JR/Stockton, Calif.) for a reception. Celestine made a defender miss on a tackle attempt and then received a block by Levi Sudbeck (SR/Hadar, Neb.) as he raced 67 yards for a touchdown.

Doane added a 41-yard field goal by Bryce Cooney (SR/Omaha, Neb.) late in the 2nd quarter to tie the game at 10. Both teams missed field goals on their final drives of the quarter. Earlier in the quarter, Doane also blocked a Hastings field goal attempt.

After a 3-and-out by the Doane defense to start the 3rd quarter, the offense took over near midfield and marched 49 yards on seven plays to take their first lead of the game. Davidson found Brandon Gannon (SR/Grand Island, Neb.) on a five-yard pass to go in front 16-10 after the PAT was blocked.

The Doane defense picked up another 3-and-out and forced the Broncos to punt. Celestine came up with another big play as he took a 52-yard punt and returned it 82 yards for a touchdown. The return is the 5th-longest in school history and gave the Tigers a 23-10 lead.

Doane added their third touchdown of the quarter following another special teams play. Jamaine Derogene (JR/Dunedin, Florida) scored from one-yard out after the Tigers had the short field following a punt that bounced off a Bronco player and ended up in the hands of Kaden Reimers (JR/Palmer, Neb.).

Doane's 30-0 run was snapped in the 4th quarter on a safety as the Broncos were able to tackle Derogene in the end zone. The Tigers were forced to start at the 1-yard line after the Tiger defense stopped Hastings on 4th-and-goal.

The final touchdown of the game came 4:45 to play as Davidson threw for his third score, hitting Sudbeck for an 11-yard reception.

The Broncos outgained the Tigers on the day, 436-258 yards. However, Hastings committed four turnovers and was sacked six times.

Derogene led the Tiger ground game with 18 yards rushing and a touchdown. Doane finished with two yards net rushing in the game. Davidson threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns on 15 completions. Celestine led the receivers with 114 yards on three catches. Josh Baker (JR/Omaha, Neb.) and Sudbeck pulled in four receptions apiece.

Defensively, Connor O'Toole (SR/Wilber, Neb.) led Doane with 11 total tackles. Anthony Malone (SR/Centennial, Colo.) finished with 10 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Garrett Fries (SR/Indianola, Neb.) posted nine tackles. Doane's secondary finished with six of the team's seven pass break-ups, led by Fries and Damond Brown (JR/Phoenix, Ariz.).

Doane's special teams recorded two fumbles on punt returns, with Reimers and Shawn Kincade (SR/San Bernardino, Calif.) picking up the recoveries. Riley Homolka (JR/Wilber, Neb.) blocked a field goal attempt. Sudbeck punted 10 times for an average of 40.3 yards per punt. Cooney was 1-for-2 on field goal tries and averaged 49.0 yards per kickoff.

The Tigers will hit the road once again next week as they travel north to South Dakota to take on Dakota Wesleyan at 1 PM on October 5.